Hackworthy repeats as champion

RACINE - After missing a putt on the 15th hole, one that would have given Tess Hackworthy the outright lead on Wednesday, she stood with her dad, Dave, above a bunker to the left of the green.

“Just have fun and enjoy the moment,” Dave told her. Many moments followed.

There was Tess’ final round finish at Racine Country Club, where she didn’t know if she’d won. There was the weather delay that spanned nearly an hour. There was the one-hole playoff.

And through it all, Tess, a Madison native and a sophomore golfer at the University of Wisconsin, shot a 7374-147 and defended her title at the Wisconsin State Women’s Open.

“It means a lot,” Tess said as the rain poured down. “It’s nice to see my game’s coming together, and I’m happy that I can compete with some of the best in the state.”

The competition lasted nearly seven hours from first tee to final putt and ended on the opening hole of the course.

Like she had all week, Tess striped a drive down the middle of the first fairway. A fist-bump with her dad followed, and then Wisconsin women’s golf alum Jessie Gerry, who shot an even-par in Round 2 and 147 total, stepped up to the tee.

Gerry’s ball squirted right and landed in the fescue that lines the par-5, which forced her to take an unplayable and a one-stroke penalty.

Gerry made bogey, and Tess made par. Afterward, as his daughter held the trophy, Dave said it was a great Father’s Day gift.

“She never knew where she stood the whole way, she just stayed focused,” Dave said. “That drive really set the tone for the playoff.”

The two share a bond on the course, so his caddying is a perfect fit, Tess said. Nothing was perfect about how things unfolded down the stretch, though.

Prior to the playoff, Tess had the lead walking across the bridge to the straightaway par-4 17th. At the time, clouds that ultimately forced an hour-long weather delay had rolled in and storms seemed inevitable.

The group kept chugging along past the fans who had gathered to watch. And in that group was four-time Wisconsin State Women’s Open champion Carolyn Barnett-Howe, who sported black sunglasses that shielded her eyes — eyes that were closed each time she putted (a strategy implemented after suffering the yips nearly four years ago).

At the day’s open, Barnett-Howe, who first won the event in 1998, led Tess by a stroke. The two battled throughout the day, but a double-bogey suffered on the 17th hole crushed Barnett-Howe’s spirits. Tess bogeyed, too, which dropped her back into a tie for first with Gerry.

Barnett-Howe finished in 5th and shot a 6-over 150 total (72-78). She was upset with her finish, yet she said she enjoyed watching Tess play.

Dave certainly enjoyed it, too.

“You want to be in moments like these, you have to enjoy it and she’s good at that,” Dave said. He then smiled. “She’s more levelheaded than I am.”